[March 03] Interesting Things I Learnt This Week

1. New Prompt Engineering Technique using Star Trek references : This is a very interesting and pretty long article which goes into how talking about star trek makes LLM spit out better results. 

My Take: The idea of using Star Trek references to enhance LLM performance is certainly intriguing. However, it also serves as a stark reminder of just how much we still have to learn about the inner workings of these complex models. While we can observe and utilize their outputs, the actual mechanics behind their decision-making processes remain shrouded in a degree of mystery. This lack of understanding doesn't deter me from seeking new ways to explore and understand LLMs. In fact, this unique approach only strengthens my curiosity and compels me to delve deeper into their capabilities and limitations. Ultimately, uncovering the secrets behind LLM operations could pave the way for even more innovative and effective applications in the future.

 

2. StreetPass : StreetPass is a browser extension that helps you find your people on Mastodon based on the websites that you visit. 

My Take: While the demise of APIs on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, coupled with the broader landscape of platform closures, may have painted a bleak picture of innovation, StreetPass emerges as a beacon of hope for Mastodon's future. It serves as a potent reminder that developer ingenuity can breathe life into alternative platforms, fostering a thriving and innovative ecosystem. As long as passionate developers continue to contribute their creative energies to Mastodon's growth, there's no reason to believe it can't flourish. This bodes well for the continued evolution of the platform and the potential it holds to provide a more robust and empowering experience for users.


3. MapLibre : The MapLibre Organization is an umbrella for open-source mapping libraries. It includes the following Martin(Tile generator), MapLibre Style Specification, MapLibre RS, MapLibre Native and MapLibre GL JS

My Take: With Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft all backing MapLibre, it seems like the only one missing is Apple. I hope they do well and bring some much-needed innovation to the map game. Let's face it, the maps and navigation we all use are basically the same as they were twenty years ago. Sure, they look a little prettier and the data is more accurate, but there's gotta be more to it than that, right? I hope to see some user-facing improvements with MapLibre, and I also hope other apps can ditch their reliance on Google Maps and start using something else.

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